Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday that while his country will continue discussing the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal with "dignity," it will also work to counteract the US sanctions, citing a lack of trust in "the other side."
The comments, quoted by the Xinhua news agency, were made during the closing ceremony of the 21st National Media Festival of Iran.
"We have never violated the (nuclear) agreement and never left the negotiating table. Today, although we have the upper hand in the negotiations to lift the sanctions and solid demands, we will never trust the other side as we have, on numerous occasions, seen them breaking their promises," Raisi claimed.
Iran signed the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in 2015. In 2018, then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
Iran responded to Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal by scaling back its compliance with the agreement. The Biden administration, however, sought to return to the deal and held indirect talks with Iran on a return to compliance.
While the talks were stalled in September after the sides failed to reach an agreement on IAEA probes of Iran’s nuclear activities, recent reports indicated that the US and Iran held indirect talks on a new agreement.
Later, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denied that an agreement had been reached between the Biden administration and the Iranian government on Iran's nuclear program.
"There is no agreement in the offing, even as we continue to be willing to explore diplomatic paths," Blinken said.